Just Like the Breeze
by Lilly Winters
Summary: Zim is alone at night, sitting on the swing set, overwhelmed by the reality of his life. But someone comes and changes his thoughts and life forever. Zagr one-shot!


**A/N**

**Okay first off, I want to apologize. I know I have been neglecting my writing and I am sorry. I have just been dealing with a lot of stuff lately. And I know my past few stories have probably been awfully depressing, but hopefully this will make up for it! Yep, another fluffy Zagr! I really like how this turned out. Not bad for a returning story XD. I cannot wait to hear your reviews. But, before I blabber on about how excited I am to let you read it, I will let you actually get to reading it :). Enjoy and Review!**

**I do not own Invader Zim!**

Leaves fluttered and drifted, riding the breeze that swept through the city. They danced and twirled, leaped and flipped. The hypnotizing motion caught the alien's attention as his eyes remained stuck on the dance they seemed to be performing for him. He shook his head and growled, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to rub the trance and the stress away. Zim nearly laughed at his situation. Here he was, the mighty Irken, lost and homesick and hating the idea of where he was. He was supposed to be a fierce warrior, a triumphant fighter, yet he was busy watching the leaves flutter about while he sat at the swing set in the center of the city park, during the middle of the night.

Another breeze kissed his cheek and he let his eyes roll to the back of his head at the sweet sensation. His keen senses picked up each movement, each sound around him; from the crackling of the leaves as they glided across the sidewalks to the floating sway of the each grass blade. The peaceful trance was broken though when he heard footsteps approaching. Immediately, he felt his PAK jump to life, the metallic legs threatening to spring out. But he quickly remembered that he was on Earth and mostly likely not in danger. _At least I do not have to fear anyone harming me_, he thought to himself as his eyes scanned the area. As he searched, his mind began to drift back to his past and presented him with the memory of the numerous times the Irkens of his home planet had betrayed him. That betrayal proven through each scar that marked his body. The most painful ones above all, though, were from his own leaders. The two that he sought to please the most and yet, they had shown their disapproval and disappointment through brutal beatings and discipline.

"Um…Zim?"

A voice broke into his thoughts and he was quickly brought back to the present. Though, he noticed that the voice seemed to dance and flutter hypnotically much like the leaves and breeze that performed around him _and_ the dark beauty. That dark beauty being Gaz Membrane who remained staring at the alien with a look of confusion crossing her delicate features. He blinked a few times in his own confusion before he frowned.

"What are you doing here, Gaz-beast?"

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"I have a name you know. It's Gaz."

"Yes," he said, shaking his head slowly, "I know."

"Then why don't you try calling me that?" she spat as she began taking a seat on the swing next to him. He eyed her as if she had just performed the most awful tragedy in the universe.

"What do you think you are doing, Gaz-thing?" he hollered.

"I'm sitting," she growled, ignoring the degrading name he had chosen for her.

He opened his mouth to protest, but decided to forget the matter. He knew that, when angered, Gaz was not the easiest human to deal with. He did not enjoy the idea of being forced to spend the rest of his evening fighting the girl off of him. _Who knows what she is capable of_, he thought with a shudder. The Irken rather enjoyed the silence, but was relieved when Gaz decided to finally speak.

"So why are you out here?"

A fresh breeze caused his wig to nearly fall of his head. Luckily, his hand snapped up in time to stop it from slipping off completely. His antennas twitched as the wind managed to sneak beneath the fake hair and lightly stroke them.

"I could ask you the same," he said, casting a glance her way.

She shrugged.

"I always come out here to think."

"I suppose that is the reason I am here too…"

She looked over at him and out of the corner of his eye, Zim could see sympathy staining her eyes. Shocked above all, he did not let it show as he continued to stare straight ahead. Gaz was curious to know why he was behaving so oddly. He seemed to be stripped of his usual determined and boisterous-self.

"What are you thinking about?"

His eyes widened at the question.

"Why does it matter, Gaz?" he asked, lifting an eyebrow her way.

She was relieved that he decided to call her by her name, though ignored it and turned the best she could towards him. _Stupid swing_, she thought bitterly.

"Obviously, something is bothering you, Zim. So why don't you just tell me?" she half-shrugged.

He weakly laughed and faced her also.

"I am confused, little Gaz. I do not know what to do."

"Do with what?"

"With life, with this world, with," he gestured hopelessly at himself, "me…" His face seemed to drop as though he had just discovered at that moment that he was a complete failure. In his mind, he was.

"What are you saying?" Gaz questioned, watching him rise from his seat and take a step forward.

"I try, I really do. I want to be so much more than just this," again he pointed at himself. "I wish I could be everything everyone needs me to be. I want to impress my leaders more than anything. I want a place to belong."

"Zim—"

"They think I am stupid…" he interrupted, twirling around and facing her. "I know they want me to die. They think they have me fooled, but I know. The Tallest sent me to this planet, hoping that I would die along the way. I was aware of this the whole time."

She stood abruptly and stepped in front of him.

"Wait a minute. They sent you here to die? And you knew?" she shook her head fiercely and squinted her eyes angrily. "Why would you even bother taking over this planet then?"

"Because I hoped that if I did succeed, then maybe I could be—"

"Be what? What would you be, Zim?" she hissed, angry that he was allowing others to treat him so unfairly.

His looked at the ground and her heart skipped a beat when all the hope left in him seemed to rush out.

"Be everything I'm not…" he whispered.

Her face fell and she took a step back, almost as if she had not expected that response. His claw balled into a fist and his eyebrows furrowed. He felt so weak. He felt like…

_Like a failure_, his mind sighed.

Everything seemed to stop when their conversation began, but it quickly resumed when a moment of silence fell over the pair. The leaves returned to their dance, the breeze returning to the sweet caressing that graced the alien's skin. But now that he had spoken of his past with someone, the breeze no longer seemed like a delicate kiss upon his face. Instead, it seemed like the mockery of his race coming to glide smoothly around him before becoming like that of the weapons they used to punish him years earlier and stab him in the back. He half-expected Gaz to walk off with each passing second that remained drowning in the absence of speech, but found something tugging at his glove. He peered down at his claw when the chilled leather slid limply off his hand and stayed clutched in her porcelain-like hand.

"Gaz…?"

Her fingers laced their way around his and she stepped forward. He watched her closely, though he was not so alert when she drew him close and nuzzled her face against his chest. She could feel his eyes on her and was relieved when his hands wrapped lightly around her petite frame.

"Why…?" he asked lightly after silenced followed the sudden action.

She pulled away just enough to look at him.

"Never change," she whispered. "I love you just the way you are."

His eyes widened, but they grew even more when she kissed him. He gasped, though quickly surrendered to the tender sensation that graced his entire body. As her lips seemed to caress and stroke his, the only thought that was present in his mind was, _Just like the breeze, but without the pain…_

**A/N**

**Okay! So you may be confused with the ending lol. But basically, throughout the entire story, he was thinking about how the wind seemed to caress and stroke his face, yet towards the end, it turned to the mockery of his race and stabbed him like the weapons they used to harm him earlier in his life. Gaz's kiss, though, retained the same sensation, only this time, he did not have to deal with the pain of mockery that came along with the breeze. I know, confusing, but I hope you liked it! I actually really love how this story turned out! Well, till next Zagr!**

3


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